ENHANCED STATUS QUO OFFICER PROMOTION SYSTEM.

SEC. 212. ENHANCED STATUS QUO OFFICER PROMOTION SYSTEM. Chapter 11 of title 14, United States Code, is amended—(1) in section 253(a)—(A) by inserting “and” after “considered,”; and(B) by striking “, and the number of officers the board may recommend for promotion”;(2) in section 258—(A) by inserting “(a) In General.—” before “The Secretary shall” ;(B) in subsection (a) (as so designated) by striking the colon at the end of the material preceding paragraph (1) and inserting “—”; and(C) by adding at the end the following:“(b) Provision of Direction and Guidance.—“(1) In addition to the information provided pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary may furnish the selection board—“(A) specific direction relating to the needs of the Coast Guard for officers having particular skills, including direction relating to the need for a minimum number of officers with particular skills within a specialty; and“(B) any other guidance that the Secretary believes may be necessary to enable the board to properly perform its functions.“(2) Selections made based on the direction and guidance provided under this subsection shall not exceed the maximum percentage of officers who may be selected from below the announced promotion zone at any given selection board convened under section 251 of this title.”;124 STAT. 2915(3) in section 259(a), by inserting after “whom the board” the following: “, giving due consideration to the needs of the Coast Guard for officers with particular skills so noted in specific direction furnished to the board by the Secretary under section 258 of this title,”; and(4) in section 260(b), by inserting after “qualified for promotion” the following: “to meet the needs of the service (as noted in specific direction furnished the board by the Secretary under section 258 of this title)”.